Weekend Event Picks, May 9-11

Making plans? Short on ideas? No worries. See June Wulff’s picks for the top things to do around the Hub this weekend.

FRIDAY

ONCE UPON A TIME James Lapine told producer/director/writer Craig Zadan that he wasn’t interested in Stephen Sondheim’s idea of making a musical about fairy tales because “fairy tales are very simplistic. There’s a complexity to them, but the characters are . . . not shaded. Somebody is good. Somebody is bad. Somebody is naive. They’re not real, full people.’’ Things changed when the librettist came up with the idea of having characters from different stories literally cross paths, and “Into the Woods’’ was born. May 9, 8 p.m. May 10, 3 and 8 p.m. May 11, 3 p.m. Through June 15. $25 and up, $10 senior discount. The Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon St., Boston. 617-585-5678. www.lyricstage.com

Advertisement

YUMMY Billie Breslin leaves her California home to work at Delicious!, and when the New York food magazine goes belly up, Breslin stays on to staff the complaint hotline. Things heat up when she finds letters written during World War II to chef James Beard by a 12-year-old girl. Chef Barbara Lynch talks with Ruth Reichl about the former Gourmet Magazine editor-in-chief’s “Delicious!: A Novel.’’ May 9, 6 p.m. $28 (includes copy of book). Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617-661-1515. www.harvard.com/event/ruth_reichl

ART’S ART Luckily, Art Spiegelman didn’t listen to his parents who wanted him to be a dentist. Instead, the artist and illustrator studied cartooning and started his professional career at the age of 16. At “What the %@&*! Happened to Comics?’’ the Pulitzer winner talks about the evolution of comics. May 9, 8 p.m. $30-$65. Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-482-6661. www.celebrityseries.org

LEGENDARY “The In Crowd,’’ “Hang On Sloopy,’’ and “Wade In The Water’’ are hits from Grammy-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis who has been playing the 88 since he was 4. Fluent in jazz, pop, and R&B, Lewis also hosted the PBS TV series “Legends of Jazz.’’ May 9-10, 8 and 10 p.m. $45. Scullers Jazz Club, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston. 617-562-4111. www.scullersjazz.com

Advertisement

SATURDAY

CARRIE ON If at first you don’t succeed… “Carrie: The Musical’’ closed on Broadway in 1988 after five performances but had a successful run Off Broadway in 2012. The show about a bullied Maine teen who gets her revenge is based on Stephen King’s novel. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company. May 10, 4 and 8 p.m. May 11, 3 p.m. Through June 7. $25 and up, $5 senior discount. Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston. 617-933-8600. www.bostontheatrescene.com

HERE’S JOHNNY He’s a big name in France and Quebec, but in America and Britain Johnny Hallyday is known as “the biggest rock star you’ve never heard of.’’ Help change this by attending his concert. May 10, 8 p.m. $30-$79. Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org

SUNDAY

A HAPPY AND FRAGRANT MOTHER’S DAY For more than 100 years Lilac Sunday has filled the Arnold Arboretum with fragrance and fun. The annual event includes tours, kids activities, demonstrations, food trucks, picnicking (the only day it is allowed), and 176 different types of lilacs. May 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Boston. 617-524-1718. www.arboretum.harvard.edu